


A Wanderer

by thekatthatbarks



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cursed! Sakura, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:49:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23483368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekatthatbarks/pseuds/thekatthatbarks
Summary: Shikamaru didn’t like to think about his childhood much. Someone might think it was because of the passing of his father, of how he travelled with his mother as she freelanced as a painter. They were never in any place for too long, most of his education as a child had been homeschool. Times had been hard, and he didn’t like to think about how much she had cut from her plate to put on to his.But it wasn’t because of any of those things.It was because of her and how, even now, he wondered if he’d imagined the whole thing.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Nara Shikamaru
Comments: 6
Kudos: 97





	A Wanderer

Shikamaru didn’t like to think about his childhood much. Someone might think it was because of the passing of his father, of how he travelled with his mother as she freelanced as a painter. They were never in any place for too long, most of his education as a child had been homeschool. Times had been hard, and he didn’t like to think about how much she had cut from her plate to put on to his.

But it wasn’t because of any of those things.

It was because of her and how, even now, he wondered if he’d imagined the whole thing.

***

“Shikamaru-kun, why don’t you go play outside?” His mother bent down with a small smile to meet his eyes. “The lady of the house said she wouldn’t mind. There’s even a river nearby. I think you might enjoy it. It’s a nice day outside.”

Shikamaru tried to not pout, knowing she was going to be painting all day anyway. He’d be bored if he had to sit there and help her mix colors. He gave her a smile and nodded. “Okay, I’ll be back for dinner.”

He ran off, her scolding about running through the halls the last thing he heard before he stepped outside.

He didn’t have to walk very far before he found the river at the edge of town. It was really pretty and he thought about how he would spend his day laying on the grass, watching the clouds. He’d walked down the sloped hill carefully, trying not to fall when it all amounted to nothing and he tripped on a rock. Before he could tumble down the grass, a hand caught him and he heard a giggle.

Shikamaru looked up to see a small girl with her hand gripping his arm. She smiled at him. “Be careful.”

He said the first things that came to mind. “Your hair’s pink.”

She reached up and tugged on her locks, bring a strand out to hold in front of her face. Then, she shrugged. “It is.”

Shikamaru looked at her confused. He’d never seen anyone with _pink_ hair before. “How can your hair be pink?”

She put her hands behind her back and leaned towards him, then whispered loudly, “It’s a secret.”

Shikamaru laughed and shrugged. She seemed a bit odd, but he didn’t think she was a bad person. Sometimes, he didn’t make any friends in the towns they stopped in. He wouldn’t pass one up just because her hair was a weird color.

“I’m Shikamaru.”

“Sakura.” She smiled at him and then told him, “I have a kite. Do you want to fly it with me?”

“Sure,” he agreed easily, and then it all started.

Shikamaru went down to the river every day to see her after that. She was always there, another dress, another hat. The portrait his mother was working on would take weeks and the woman who’d hired her was kind and put them up in her house. They sat at her table for meals and he liked how his mother didn’t need to worry about feeding him. That she could put the money away for later.

Sakura was fun to talk to and Shikamaru was already dreading when they would inevitably pack up and move on to another town. Maybe he could talk the lady of the house into another painting, though he knew it would just earn him a scolding from his mother.

He’d shrugged off her odd hair color like it was a random scar on her arm. He didn’t ask about it again. But he was reminded about it when Sakura told him something odd one day.

They were laying down, tired from playing and looking up at the sky as the sun set. Her voice was hesitant and small as she told him, “Shikamaru, will you find me again?”

He looked over at her confused. “What do you mean?”

“When I disappear, will you find me again?” She didn’t look at him, keeping green eyes on the sky.

Shikamaru shifted against the grass, further confused. “What – is your family going to leave or something?”

She smiled but it didn’t look happy. She shrugged. “Something like that.”

“Well, I’ll probably leave first. Mom doesn’t think we’ll be here after the summer ends.” Shikamaru sighed and followed her eyes back to the oranges and purples bleeding across the sky – it reminded him of one of his mom’s paintings. “But I hope I see you again. You know, in the future.”

“Me, too,” she told him softly and left not soon after.

He went down to the river the next day and the day after that and the day after _that_. But she wasn’t ever there. Shikamaru went into town to look for her, thinking it wouldn’t be hard to find a girl with pink hair. But no one knew who he was talking about. _There was no girl in town with pink hair. There was no Sakura._

He still checked every day, feeling like something was scratching him under his shirt. She didn’t appear again, and they left after the summer.

***

Shikamaru was old enough to work so he did. His mother lamented about him not having proper schooling, but she was getting older and he saw how she massaged her wrist in the evening. He placated her with the frivolous fantasy that he could go to a university one day, though he felt like that was out of his reach. Maybe if they saved up enough they could go back to their house – _she hadn’t had the heart to sell it even if the money would’ve helped, the hope to have a home again was hard to let go of_ – and she could enjoy painting or sitting on their porch. Shikamaru had no issues with being the one to take care of her instead.

He got a job at a farm near the inn they were staying at. His mother had been commissioned for a family portrait. It was good money and would take her months to do. He wished they could stay in a _house_ while they were here, but Shikamaru had learned to not be greedy.

The family he was working for were kind people, though, and fed their farmhands whenever they were hungry. Shikamaru had been working before dawn broke and wiped the sweat from his brow as he stepped into the back kitchen. He’d wiped his boots on the mat and was about to move to the counter for the pitcher of water, when he saw her.

He knew she’d never believe him, but he recognized her by her eyes before he even noticed the pink hair sticking out of her maid’s cap. Her eyes were that lovely shade of green when she met his and her name fell from his lips like a forgotten word, “Sakura?”

Her eyes widened and she dropped the tray that had been in her hands. The ceramic dishes broke across the tile and she cursed, her face turning red as she bent down. He immediately moved to help her, knocking her hands away as he picked up the broken pieces and placed them on the tray. “Don’t. You’ll cut your hands.”

The lady of the house came into the kitchen with a breath. “What happened?”

“Madam, I – “

Shikamaru talked over her, looking up and meeting the lady’s eyes. “I scared her when I came in and made her drop the tray. You can take the cost of the dishes out of my pay.”

The woman tsked and grabbed Sakura’s arm to haul her up. Shikamaru’s shoulders tensed but the woman only looked at her in concern, turning her hands over. “Oh, that won’t be necessary. My dear, are you hurt?”

Sakura shook her head, her voice quiet. “No madam. I apologize about the –“

The woman waved a hand and gave her a kind smile. “No need to fret. There are more dishes in the cupboard.”

She left and Sakura did as she was told, going to the cupboard and pulling down more dishes. Shikamaru watched her, still feeling a little dazed. He stood up and placed the tray on the counter. “You are Sakura, aren’t you?”

She paused as she picked up the tea kettle. “They don’t call me that here.”

He felt his breath leave him and he smiled. “Okay, what do they call you?”

She glanced at him; her eyes so much harder than when they were children. He wondered if she had picked up even more secrets to hold since then. “Akiko.”

He nodded and asked her, his chest feeling tight. “Do you remember me?”

A smile graced her lips, her eyes softening as she set down the tea kettle. “I do, Shikamaru.”

Her tray was ready again and she picked it up. Shikamaru hadn’t moved from his place at the counter and she walked by him, her feet hesitating when her eyes met his. She told him quietly, “I’m surprised you found me.”

He chuckled and she left the room with a small smile.

Shikamaru was disappointed when he didn’t run into her in the house over the next few days. At the end of the week, he lingered in the kitchen when he finished his work but she never stopped by. He felt uneasy and bit down the awkwardness, grabbing another maid’s attention when she came in. “Excuse me, is Akiko working today?”

The girl looked at him oddly. “Akiko?”

Shikamaru nodded. “She has green eyes and – “ He remembered her maid’s cap and said instead, “a dimple in her chin.”

The girl shook her head. “I don’t think any of the other maids have green eyes.”

Shikamaru sighed and tried, “Her name might’ve been Sakura, on second thought?”

She shook her head again, an apologetic smile on her lips. He must’ve looked as disappointed as he felt because she tried to comfort him. “Maybe I’m overlooking someone. I’ll ask my lady when I see her.”

“Thank you,” Shikamaru replied but didn’t have much hope.

A few days later, the same maid told him quietly over a pitcher of water, “My lady said she hasn’t hired anyone by the name of Akiko or Sakura, sir. I’m sorry.”

He didn’t see her again.

Shikamaru felt like he was going insane.

***

He barely knew her. Foggy memories of her from his childhood, one from when he was a teenager. But he never forgot her. He couldn’t forget her. The girl with pink hair that had an odd way of disappearing from not only his side but from people’s memories.

Besides his own.

He tried to forget her and ignored the thoughts of her when they plagued him. Pink hair, warm laughs, and a gentle smile.

They’d finally saved up enough to move back to their house and Shikamaru had to spend most of the money on fixing it up – the wood had been rotted from being abandoned so long, mold in the corners, it was a mess. But he was determined for his mother to live the rest of her days in her own house and not in a rundown inn somewhere or a small room in the back of a stranger’s house.

Shikamaru was sitting in a small café, a newspaper in his hands as he searched the listings for an opening at one of the factories in town. The jobs there paid so much better and at this point, he would kill to not have to work in the sun anymore. Though from what he’d heard, the conditions weren’t much better.

If he hadn’t glanced out the window at that second, he would’ve missed her.

His cup paused in the air as he raised it to his lips when he caught sight of that flash of pink through the glass. He didn’t even think before leaving his cup and newspaper on the table, barely remembering to grab his jacket before running outside.

She was slipping through the crowd, holding her sunhat to her head as her heels walked across the paved road. Shikamaru felt his heart race as he moved through the busy street, shoving people and hoping no one took enough offense to fight him over it. He felt panic rise in his chest when she turned a corner and picked up his pace.

He grabbed her arm as soon as she was in reach, jerking her to him before she could slip away. There was an angry retort on her tongue as she ripped her arm from his grip and turned towards him, “ _Hey_ , who the _hell_ do you – “

Her sentence stopped when she saw his face and Shikamaru tried for a smile. “Hey, Sakura.”

She looked at him in shock. “Shikamaru?”

He nodded and slipped his hands into his pockets. He felt nervous, his heart still pounding in his chest, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. She’d gotten so beautiful. “I’m sorry about grabbing you. I just – didn’t want to miss you.”

“It’s okay,” she replied almost mechanically. She glanced away from him and then back to him. She looked at him incredulous. “How do you keep finding me?”

“Why? Are you running away from me?” He asked her, the back of his mind worried she was going to think he was stalking her.

But his question just made a laugh fall from her lips. “No.” She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes never leaving his. After a moment, she smiled and held out her hand to him. “Why don’t you take a walk with me?”

Without hesitation, he grabbed her hand and she laced their fingers together. “Sure.”

Her smile was almost bashful when she looked at him and then, she was leading them down the road. She was quiet as they turned corners and crossed streets. Then, they were by the pier and Shikamaru felt like it was reminiscent of that first summer. She seemed to think the same as she glanced at him with a chuckle and shrugged. “I like the water.”

Shikamaru smiled back. “It is pretty nice.”

“Have you ever been sailing?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

“No.”

She looked out over the boats docking. “I think it would be really nice.”

They were quiet and Shikamaru felt like his questions were eating at him, but he didn’t know where to begin. She must’ve seen it in his eyes though, because she smiled sadly and said, “I know you have questions.”

“Do you – am I the only person who can remember you?” He started with the one that he felt like he knew the answer to.

She nodded, her fingers tightening around his. “It seems so.”

“Sakura, how does that – “

She interrupted him, her voice warm over the waves in the distance. “If I leave a place and come back, everyone treats me like it’s the first time they’ve met me. You’re the only person to have ever remembered me.”

“Why do you keep leaving? Are you… running for someone or something?” Shikamaru reminded himself he barely knew her, but a part of him was ready to offer her the world even if it was only a place to hide.

“No.” She shook her head with that sad smile. She looked at him and shrugged. “I just disappear.”

“You disappear?”

“Yeah, I just disappear.” She waved a hand. “I’m there one moment and then gone, the next.”

Shikamaru wanted to tell her it didn’t make any sense; how could that _ever_ make any sense. But there had always been something odd about Sakura and it wasn’t just her hair. He found it hard to _not_ believe her as she started to stitch things together.

“Where do you go?”

“Nowhere.” The word fell from her lips as she looked out over the sea. Her eyes were distant, and he felt like she might leave right then and there. He squeezed her hand and she looked back to him with a smile. “I think someone cursed me when I was little. I can’t really remember but that’s what I think happened.”

“What? Like magic?”

She rolled her eyes and asked him, “What else could it be, Shikamaru? My hair is _pink_. I’ve had to run from towns because people think I’m a witch. I don’t doubt the real thing is out there.”

Shikamaru let out a breath and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his other hand. It was a lot to take in but he kept asking for more.

“Is there like a reason you disappear? A certain amount of time or you – “

“No, it’s random. It’s also random where I appear again later, though I seem to be restricted to this country at least. Thankfully.”

The woman could literally disappear from his hold.

“How do you break it?”

She laughed. “I don’t know.”

His chest felt tight and he told her in a low voice, “I’m sorry, Sakura. That’s a heartbreaking way to live.”

She didn’t reply right away, her face turned away from him, but he could see how her eyes glossed over. She leaned into his side. “Thank you.”

Shikamaru took her to his house that night. He introduced her to his mother and watched as she took the frying pan from her to cook them dinner instead. She made them breakfast and Shikamaru felt himself fall in love with her as she flipped pancakes in the air with a laugh.

Their property was small, but Sakura still looked at in awe as they walked through the meadows as the sun set. “You grow all of these flowers?”

“Well, my mother does. Her hands hurt too much to hold a brush these days, but she enjoys taking care of the flowers and selling them at a stand in town. I think she just needs something to keep her busy.” 

Sakura smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his. “They’re beautiful.”

He invited her to stay the night, not knowing how she even found places to stay the night. With the way she lived, he couldn’t imagine it was easy. He didn’t kiss her or push himself on her when she crawled into the bed beside him. He did reach out for her, though, feeling relieved when she cuddled into his side and laid her head on his chest.

He wrapped an arm around her and asked in the dark of his room, “What if when you disappear next time, I don’t see you again?”

He felt her smile against him. “I’ve a feeling you’ll find me again.”

In the morning, she was gone and Shikamaru found it hard to leave the bed. He eventually stumbled out of his room, a faint hope in his chest and found his mother cooking in the kitchen.

“Hey, Mom, have you seen Sakura?”

“Sakura?” She glanced at him confused, “Who’s Sakura, Shika-kun?”

He couldn’t let himself say, “No one”, so he simply shrugged off the question hoping she’d let it go, “Never mind.”

She didn’t push it, though gave him wondering looks throughout breakfast. Shikamaru felt like his heart broke when he left the house and his eyes fell on the meadow.

***

Shikamaru thought about travelling and he thought about staying right where he was over the next month. Sakura knew where he lived now, so couldn’t she come find him?

_Would she want to?_

He thought it over for a weeks, parts of him screaming he needed to forget about her, needed to move on and live his life. But he couldn’t. He knew her now and he couldn’t ever hope to _forget_.

Their country was nowhere near small, but it wasn’t large either. Running into her in random towns seemed to work so far. Maybe she wouldn’t even be able to make it this far before she disappeared to another corner.

Shikamaru packed a bag and kissed his mother on the cheek. “I’ll send you money whenever I get it.”

She waved a hand at him and told him for the dozenth time, “Keep your money.”

He smiled at her and headed to the door. Her voice carried over to him when he grabbed the handle. “Did I make you this way? You always look like you’re waiting for the next thing. Some kind of wanderer.”

He shrugged and looked over his shoulder at her with a small smile. “No, I think I made myself this way.”

She laughed softly and nodded. “Please be safe, Shikamaru.”

“I will.”

***

A year passed before he saw her again.

He was working at a factory that made parts for airplanes. It was one of the more interesting jobs he’d taken. Hard work, but the pay was good. Shikamaru had been walking along the river that ran through town when he spotted her by the bank.

He felt like he was seven again as he watched her grip her hat with an irritated sigh as the wind almost knocked it off. Her clothes were a mix of fabrics and patterns, like dresses stitched together with a cloak thrown over them. He still felt that telltale sign of his heart picking up its pace as he watched her stand up, apparently having decided it was too windy to enjoy a rest by the water.

She walked a few steps before she glanced his way probably feeling eyes on her. Her lips parted in surprise and then broke into a smile. Shikamaru felt his feet walking towards her before she’d even broken into a run. She threw herself at him and he caught her in his arms as he stumbled back. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around her.

She hugged him tightly and told him near his ear, “I told you you’d find me again.”

“I hope that’s always true.” He chuckled, not pulling away from her.

She sighed, relaxing in his hold. “Me too.”

After some time, she leaned back to look at him. Her smile was beautiful, and she told him, “I found a witch.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “You found a witch?”

She nodded. “She’s trying to help me break the curse.”

Shikamaru felt uneasy and couldn’t share her excitement. “Why would a witch help you?”

“She wants me to apprentice under her. She’s a good person, I promise. She says she wants to pass along her knowledge to someone. She says she has an idea where to look and I – “

And she was gone.

Shikamaru looked down at himself in disbelief as his breath left him. He foolishly turned around, but she was nowhere to be seen. He felt something catch in his throat and ran his fingers through his hair. He walked unsteadily to the spot she had been sitting and laid down in the grass, throwing an arm over his eyes. His chest shook and he wondered if this would ever end.

He tried to remind himself she’d found someone to help break it and he carried that hope with him as he dragged himself up hours later to go to his inn.

***

Two more years passed, and he hadn’t seen her again. Shikamaru worried his luck was running out even as he stopped taking so many jobs, travelling so quickly from town to town like he was some kind of bard. He would only stay long enough in a town to send a letter to his mother and wait for her reply. He had to find her. He had to see her again.

At this point, he didn’t think he was capable of not looking for her.

He was in a town by the sea when he checked the post office a couple weeks after sending money to his mother to find a letter waiting for him. He opened it, eager to go to the next town. 

_Shikamaru,_

_I was going to start this letter by reminding you to keep your money, but I feel that you would like to know that a woman has come by the house looking for you. She said her name is Sakura. She asked me to write to you and tell you that she “will find you this time, so please wait for her”. She was also very insistent that I write the letter here and now. She’s still in our little kitchen, drinking from a mug of tea across from me like she’s done it a dozen times before. She’s quite beautiful though her hair is very odd. I feel like there is something going on that you have not told me, but I suppose I will wait for you to._

_You know I’ve never asked you to come home, so I hope you’ll believe me when I say that this woman is the one who is asking._

_Please travel safe, dear._

_I love you._

_Love,_

_Mom_

***

“Mom?” Shikamaru called out as he walked through the front door. He heard a clamor of dishes in the sink and her arms were around him as soon he’d stepped into the living room.

“Shikamaru!” She hugged him tightly. “I didn’t know you were coming to visit! Why didn’t you send a letter?”

She pulled back and looked at him with a warm smile. Shikamaru tried to smile back as his chest tightened. He didn’t know why he’d expected her to still be here, it’d taken him three days to get there.

“Actually, I’m done with travelling for now. I’m home.”

She hugged him again and he was happy he could still find comfort from his mother’s arms.

He found a letter under his pillow, guessing she’d hidden it in case his mother saw and got very confused.

_Shikamaru,_

_I know I’ll be gone before you get here. It’s just how this has been working out for us lately. I’m so sorry about last time. I’ve never wanted you to watch me disappear. Being in your arms while it happened made it even worse. I know it broke me for a while._

_But I do have good news. The witch and I – her name is Tsunade – have figured out how to break the curse. It is something I hadn’t expected but will probably make you laugh like it did me. I felt stupid when I found it like I should’ve tried it a long time ago. I’ll need your help with it. No, I won’t tell you in this letter. It has to be in person._

_Please stay in your home with your mother. It will make it easier to meet. I know it will take me more than a few tries to get there with how often I jump around but we just need a few minutes. Wait for me. I will find you this time, like you have always found me._

_I know she doesn’t remember me, and I won’t ask something silly like for you to thank her for me, it’ll just confuse her. But your mother was so kind to me. She did as I asked even though I could feel her suspicions of me. I managed to stick around for three days and the whole time, she let me stay there in your home. She gave me blankets and made a makeshift bed in the living room – it was quite adorable how she never offered your room even with you not being there. She fed me and refused any coin I tried to give her. I appreciated her very much._

_I’ll find you._

_Please wait for me._

_Yours,_

_Sakura_

***

Five months later and she found him in the meadow by his house. She was panting like she had been running, her hair wild around her as it teased her shoulders. Her smile was breathless, and she met him in the middle of the field.

Her lips were pressed against his seconds after and he kissed her back greedily. He wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her close to him as his other hand moved to the back of her head to hold her in place. He kissed her like he’d never see her again because it was always a possibility with the two of them.

They were both breathless when they finally broke a part and the words fell from his lips hurriedly as he looked into her eyes, “What do we need to do?”

She smiled, her thumb stroking across his cheekbone where she held his face. Her voice was thick and she laughed. “We already did it.”

“What?” He looked at her confused and felt it dawn on him at the same time she spoke.

“True loves kiss. The oldest trick in the book.” A couple tears ran down her face as she looked up at him.

He felt himself laugh as his shoulders shook and leaned his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I’m not.” She kissed him again, her lips filled with affection and tenderness.

He opened his eyes to meet hers. “Are you sure?”

The three words held so many more questions than what was on the surface and she answered all of them.

“I’m sure.”

***

Sakura didn’t disappear again.

Not when he woke up the next day. Not when she’d moved into his mother’s house, unsurprisingly having few things to her name. Not when they’d moved into a home of their own just a few streets away. Not even when they got married in his mother’s field of flowers. Not even when he took her sailing.

She was there time and time again. With a kiss on her lips and her arms around him.


End file.
